Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:-
“The lack of joined up government is bad enough when it occurs across departments, but when the one minister is the culprit it moves from folly to farce.
“In an answer to an Assembly Question David Ford has admitted to me that since coming to office he spent £4.5m upgrading the eight courthouses which he now foolishly wants to close. So, now we know that not only has the Justice minister defied the advice of The Lord Chief Justice, but he squandered millions on courthouses to now abandon them. What a waste; what an incompetent!
“In Ballymena the scandal is at its worst: £1.7m refurbishing the courthouse to which he now applies the padlocks. Could this be the same justice minister who wages war on Legal Aid? Time to get his own house in order.”
Below is the information revealed in answer to AQW 41477/11-15
To ask the Minister of Justice to detail the refurbishment and upkeep expenditure over the last ten years on each of the eight court houses proposed for closure.
Answer:
The expenditure included in the response dates from the devolution of Justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly on the 12 April 2010. The total expenditure for the eight courthouses proposed for closure from this date to December 2014 is £4.5 million. This figure, which includes refurbishment, maintenance and security costs, is broken down as follows:
Total Expenditure per Court Office from 1 April 2010 to 31 December 2014
Armagh Court Office £508,535.66
Ballymena Court Office £1,675,078.26
Enniskillen Court Office £307,240.22
Limavady Court Office £163,110.67
Lisburn Court Office £567,793.03
Magherafelt Court Office £198,399.93
Newtownards Court Office £906,488.81
Strabane Court Office £247,308.38
Grand Total 4,573,954.96